COVID-19 outbreak on Saints staff
The Saints have had eight members of the organization test positive for COVID-19, calling into question their status for Sunday’s game against the Panthers, ESPN reported Tuesday.
The total includes six offensive coaches, one player and a nutritionist.
The team is operating under the NFL’s enhanced mitigation protocols, meaning mandatory masking inside facilities, daily testing, no in-person meetings and graband-go meals.
The NFL Players Association determined Josh Gordon has successfully completed his league-monitored treatment program and has recommended to the league that he be reinstated, ESPN reported. Gordon, 30, must receive final approval from commissioner Roger Goodell, but he’s vaccinated against COVID-19 and said to be ready to play. The NFL suspended the former All-Pro indefinitely in December 2019 for violations of its policies on substance abuse and PEDs. That was Gordon’s sixth suspension since the 2013 season and his fifth for some form of substance abuse. Gordon was conditionally reinstated in December 2020 and was set to practice with the Seahawks in the final two weeks of the regular season before his reinstatement was rescinded in January after he reportedly suffered a setback in his recover from substance abuse . ... 49ers RB Raheem Mostert will undergo season-ending surgery on his knee after getting injured in the season opener. Coach Kyle Shanahan had said Mostert was expected to miss eight weeks because of chipped cartilage in his knee, but
Mostert announced on his Twitter account that he will miss the rest of the season . ... The Bills will require all fans ages 12 and up to be vaccinated to attend games at Highmark Stadium, starting with the October 31 game against the Dolphins. The Sabres, who are under the same ownership, will have the same policy at KeyBank Center for the NHL season.
NBA: The Nuggets and F Aaron Gordon agreed to a four-year, $92 million contract extension, according to reports. The deal includes a player option for the fourth year in 2025-26. It includes $88 million in base salary and $4 million in incentives. Gordon, who turns 26 on Thursday, averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 25 games last season for the Nuggets after a trade from the Magic in late March . ... The league told its teams that it’s going ahead with a plan in which those who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will not need to submit to regular testing. Those who are unvaccinated will undergo rigorous testing — one test on practice or travel days, and at least one test on game days . ... Gene Littles, a former coach of the Hornets who was the all-time leading scorer in High Point University history, died. He was 78. The cause of death wasn’t given by the school.
Soccer: The U.S. Soccer Federation said it had offered identical contract proposals to the players’ associations for the men’s and women’s national teams, and the governing body said it would refuse to agree to a deal in which World Cup prize money isn’t equalized.